


What Spiderman Band-Aids can't fix

by squid_ink_2124



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Cutting, Hurt Aaron Hotcher, Hurt!Hotchner, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Suicide, Nightmares, Past Child Abuse, Sad Aaron Hotchner, Self Harm, Whump, suicidal thougts, trigger warning, tw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 10:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25968325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squid_ink_2124/pseuds/squid_ink_2124
Summary: Aaron Hotchner has reached his breaking point and is ready to fall. Who will be there to catch him?TRIGGER WARNING: SELF HARM, CUTTING, CHILD ABUSE, SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & David Rossi, Aaron Hotchner/David Rossi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 71





	1. What Spiderman Band-Aids can’t fix

Why do I keep trying if I'm just gonna fail?

That's what Aaron Hotchner whispered to him as he finished up his final case report for the night. Mothers and sons were killed in their home while the husbands were at work. The Unsub decided that suicide was better than going to jail. Aaron couldn't blame him for doing it but blamed himself for not saving the third and fourth family. To Aaron, offing himself seemed like the best idea right now. He looks down at the watch on his wrist and notices it is almost 10:30pm. Everybody else should have gone home already. He pulls up his sleeve and looks at his other wrist and sees some old faded lines of raised skin to match the skin on his back. Some marks on his arm are newer but those are higher up, where his sleeve can cover. Some much deeper ones lined his abdomen, making it easier to see the deep angry scars of his father's belt. They were so bad that as he grew into an adult, the scars remain looking like they weren't nearly as old as they were.

The urge to go home and just end it all is so strong, he steadies himself with a few deep breathes. Luckily, Jack was with Jessica for the week since Aaron knew he had a lot of work to do. He clears off his desk, storing the file away for now, and packs his stuff up. He checks outside his door for anyone, and is met with a chilling silence. Usually, the bullpen was bustling with noise whether it be his team laughing, swift keyboard clicks, or just general noise. He wanted to hear Spencer spewing random facts until he was stopped. He wanted to hear Morgan flirting with anyone in a 5 foot radius. He wanted to hear Emily and JJ laughing about some story they told each other. Tonight, there was nothing and for once, he wished there was something. He wanted to hear Spencer spewing random facts until he was stopped. He wanted to hear Morgan flirting with anyone in a 5 foot radius. He wanted to hear Emily and JJ laughing about some story they told each other.

He strained his ears, just needing to hear something, so he goes close to David Rossi's door. The tension in his body releases as he hears a familiar, soft Italian song playing through the door. He lets the smallest smile form on his lips. He hears David start singing along and relaxes against the wall. He rolls his sleeve up and lightly traces his scars as he focuses on the older Italian's voice. Rossi always knew how to clam him down after a case gone wrong or a rough night.

After Haley, David would do his best to keep Aaron close to make sure he was alright. After time, he couldn't because Aaron was pushing him away subtly and David took the hint. Aaron peeked through the window and watched as David moved effortlessly around the room, dancing while reading a case file. Aaron felt his heart jump into his throat. He knew for a while that he didn't just see David as a friend, or, he wanted to see David as more... but that was unrealistic.

David had been married three times to women. Aaron has a dead ex-wife. He sighs and drags his eyes away from the seemingly care-free man. He lets his legs carry him to the entrance of the building and out to his car. He drives to his car as his body seems to be on auto-pilot while his mind runs.

He thinks about Haley, he thinks about Kate, he thinks about Jack, he thinks about David. No, he can't think about him. That's not allowed. The sting of the marks on his back serve as a reminder of why he can't. His father. He controlled his life until he died. And now, Aaron was gonna make sure he couldn't control his mind anymore. He enters his dark house and feels his heart start racing.

Ever since Foyet, he has always been paranoid someone would be waiting for him. He quickly pushes back the fear and leaves his shoes and jacket at the door. He goes to the main counter and sets his bag and keys down. Without a second thought, he moves quickly up the stairs and into his bedroom. He pulls a small box out from under his bed. He sits on the edge of his bed as the only light in the room is from the streetlights and passing cars outside. Hesitantly, he opens it and becomes freakishly calm.

He knows he doesn't have to, but he knows he deserves it. He knows he has to make himself bleed before he can forgive himself for everything he's done. He knows he needs to see the blood run down his body to feel alive. He needs the pain to stop feeling numb.

He pulls a larger razor out of the box and strips himself down to his navy blue boxers and white undershirt. He gently presses the razor to the tattered skin of his right arm and hisses as it grazes over sensitive scar tissue. He pushes a bit harder and lets out the breathe he was holding when he sees the line of red form behind the razor. He repeats the action until his hand becomes too shaky to continue. He dabs the pool of red with tissues he kept in the box.

He sat there, considering "accidentally" cutting too deep and ending it all but he didn't. Instead, he drew more lines of blood across his abdomen so the crossed over his old scars. After a good few of them, a car screeching by made him jump and cut across his stomach deeper than he meant to. "Shit" He cursed under his breath. Blood immediately started dripping, staining his boxers. He dabs the cut with tissues but the bleeding won't stop. He grabs more tissues and lays them over the cut. He lays back against the bed and ends up dozing off.

\------

Aaron wakes up with a start, sweating badly. Another nightmare.... He runs his hand through his short hair and lets a few tears fall. He had a dream that Jack and Haley were killed by the same serial killer who killed all of the other families. He looks over at the time and sees it is just before 5 in the morning. He sits up and winces as his head pounds. "Great way to wake up I guess". He goes to sit up and feels a sharp pain from his stomach. He looks down and sees that the tissues have dried to the blood on his abdomen. He curses lightly and starts to peel them off, causing the wound to start bleeding again. Instead of worrying about it, he gets ready for work.

As he brushes his teeth and combs his hair into place, he looks back at himself. By first glance, you would never think anything was wrong except for the darkness under his eyes. He glances at the clock, 5:15am. Aaron likes to get to work around 5:30 and could take a shower but decides against it. After all, he just sat at his desk all day the day prior. He shoves the box back underneath his bed. He grabs his stuff and heads out the door, deciding he can be early. His body turns to autopilot as his mind runs for miles.

What if he actually finished himself off last night? What if he cut too deep? What if he never showed up for work? What if he called Rossi and admitted his feelings before doing it? What if he called Jack to say he loved him? What if he called Reid and Morgan to apologize?

He pulled into the near empty parking lot and watches the sun for a moment.. He steps out of the car and winces as he feels the dried blood tug at his skin. Once he's halfway across the parking lot, he realizes he has to pull his sleeves back down. He does so quickly. He then walks in, checks in, and goes to his office. The bullpen is almost as quiet as last night but not quite. There are a few people walking around but nobody that Aaron knows by name. He sets his stuff down and starts his paperwork.

\-------

David Rossi enters the building around 6am. He moves quickly and quietly to his office, to begin case work. About 15 minutes in, he gets bored and puts on some old Italian music. He closes his door and goes back to work. A little while later, he hears a quiet, frantic knock at his door. He opens and Penelope Garcia lets herself in with her laptop in hand, rambling too quick for David to understand. "Woah, Garcia, calm down. Repeat. Slowly." She sets the laptop down and waves David over to look at it. It's the surveillance footage from last night, labeled 10:27pm.

He watches the screen as Hotch stands outside his office, and rolls up his sleeve. "Okay.. why am I watching this?" He asks, slightly annoyed but secretly intrigued. "This!" Penelope says as she zooms in on Hotch's arm. It's blurry but there are a few red lines on his arm. David looks closer and prays his old eyes are deceiving him. "That can't be-" Penelope cuts him off. "That's what I thought too... until I saw this." She taps a few keys and pulls up footage from the parking lot at 5:23am. They both watch as Hotch winces as he steps out his car. They watch as he crosses the area, red lines still on his arms. They watch as he pauses, looks down at the lines, and rolls his sleeve down. They watch as he subconsciously touches his stomach as he walks closer to the building.

They sit in silence as David takes it all in. "I think he's hurt... and I didn't know who to go to..." David places his hand on her shoulder as he makes the connection. "Thank you for showing this to me.. I'll try and do something about it." Penelope leaves and David holds his head in his hands and whispers, "Why Aaron? Why would you do this?"

\------

After a few hours of paperwork, Aaron got sidetracked by the pain on his abdomen and the burn of fabric against his arm. He rolls up his sleeves and continues working until his mind gets away from him again. He thinks back to last night and about how he could have died....how he should have. His fingers twitch at the idea of cutting again. He reaches into his desk drawer, fishing out a box not unlike the one under his bed.

This time, he holds the razor and pretends to draw lines of blood until he actually does. He puts it away after a few minutes and five new lines. He tries to go back to work but can't. He grabs his journal and starts scribbling out what could be considered a suicide note. He feels like tears are dripping down his face but they aren't. He couldn't cry, he was stronger than that. He looks at his exposed arm that has blood dripping down the side. He continues writing until he is on his third page. Suddenly he hears a voice.

"Aaron.....what is on your arm?" Aaron jumps violently and shoves the sleeve down his arm. "Nothing Rossi, why didn't you knock?" He asks with a shaky voice. David sighs and lets himself further into the room. "I did. You were so far gone in your own head that you didn't hear me. Seriously, what was that?" Aaron stood up and winced, reaching for his abdomen. "Nothing. Just...got caught on a fence. Nothing bad-" David cuts him off in the middle of his lie. "You're lying. What really happened?" Aaron eyes widen the slightest bit but David catches it. "Seriously! I was walking with Jack and got caught-" David clenches his fist in frustration and anger that his friend won't tell the truth. "Aaron Hotchner, do not lie to me. If you try again, so help me God..." Aaron goes to step around his desk. "Rossi! I'm not lying!! I-" David reaches the doorknob and shut the door, locking it.

"Aaron. I told you not to lie to me. Roll up your sleeves." Aaron freezes, looking like a deer in headlights. "No." David raises an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, did I ask? No. I just need to make sure you are okay." He moves towards Aaron as the other man steps backwards. "David, there is no need. I'm fine. Seriously." David starts to back him up into a wall when Aaron trips, and hisses in pain as he stumbles back against a bookshelf. David continues moving forward until he sees a bit of red on the front of Aaron's white button up. "You have 10 seconds to explain that before I rip your goddamn shirt off and look for myself." Aaron's breath hitches and he remains silent.

Just as David moves closer to unbutton his shirt, he rolls up his sleeves quickly. "There! You happy?! This what you wanted to see?!" He feels tears well up in his eyes. David pauses and slowly reaches for Aaron's wrist. He grabs it and extends Aaron's arm to look closer. "A-Aaron.... what is this?" The younger man rips his arm back and rolls his now bloodied sleeve down. "Nothing-" "Aaron, don't li-" "I WANT TO KILL MYSELF!! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR?! ABOUT HOW FUCKING SUICIDAL I AM?!" His eyes go wide and he freezes. David also freezes and goes to reach out to Aaron, who now has tears falling down his face. "D-Don't touch me." Aaron moves away and grabs his bag.

He storms out of his office, and through the bullpen. Derek and Emily try to stop him but he ignores them and keeps going. David watches from the doorway to Hotch's office. He moves back into Aaron's office and looks at the open page of his journal. His eyes widen and he starts to panic slightly. Derek goes to ask what happened but Rossi suddenly darts into his office when he watches Aaron leave the building. He pages Penelope and tells her to keep a visual on Hotch as he grabs is stuff and runs after him, pushing past JJ and Spencer, now wondering what the commotion is about. Rossi runs out to his car, waits a moment, and drives to Aaron's place.

\--------

Aaron sped home, knuckles white from clutching the steering wheel. He jumped out of his car and took a moment to try breathe. How could he fuck up this badly? Why did he let his guard down? Why did David care so much? Why can't he breathe? He opens his door and steps inside, no fear this time. He goes into the bathroom and runs water over his face. "How could I be this stupid?" He unbuttons his shirt so he's standing there in his undershirt and dress pants. Aaron grabs the first aid kit from the cabinet and brings it into the kitchen. He grabs a washcloth and lightly dabs it over the lines on his arm, getting rid of the dried, crusted, blood. He throw the towel haphazardly and it lands on the floor. Just as he goes to grab bandages, the door slams open and Aaron flinches violently.

David Rossi stands there, staring at him while breathing heavily. "Listen, I'm not mad at you but you can't run away after something like that. I want to help you..." Aaron remained frozen in shock. David moved closer and noticed the bloody rag on the floor. "Aaron.... why is there blood on this?" Aaron looked down at it and moved to pick it up, moving from behind the counter. David watched as he moved and also noticed the large patch of red on the middle of Aaron's shirt. "I was just cleaning up. I swear." David looks over at the first aid kit and determines that Aaron isn't lying this time. "Okay, but I'm helping you." Aaron goes to protest before deciding against it.

David sighs in relief when Aaron doesn't argue and guides the man back to the counter. He tells him to sit on the counter to which Aaron huffs and complies. David notices his lack of fighting and realizes Aaron might just be exhausted. He holds the younger man's wrist in his hand and starts to clean it better with a different wash cloth. They both sit in the comfortable and also eerie silence. Aaron can't help but notice that David is standing right between his legs enough that his knees are touching David. He can't help but notice how focused David is on fixing him up, like it's the most important thing he's ever done. His face goes red for a moment before realizing why he is standing there and looking like that. The only sounds being cars going by and a dog barking down the road.

David works at a nice pace, not too fast to overwhelm Aaron but also fast enough to get the job done. "Hand me the bandages please" Aaron grabs the band-aids and goes to give them to David. "No, I said bandages. _**Spiderman band-aids can't fix this Aaron..**_ " For some reason, those words caused a breath to hitch in Aaron's throat as he grabs the gauze and bandages. David notices but just thanks him and wraps the white bandage around his arm three times, probably to make sure it doesn't come loose. They both remain silent for a moment before David picks up the kit, and places it on the table next to the tattered brown couch. Aaron watches with furrowed eyebrows until David comes back to stand in front of him again.

"We're not done. You still have a blood stain on your shirt. Can you take it off please?" Aaron hesitates for a moment before David takes his hands in his own. "It's okay. I won't judge you. I just want to help you." Aaron takes in a deep breath before reaching to pull the shirt over his head, but he can't. It hurts to move his arms. David sees this and helps him. He pauses for a moment and looks over all of the lines and scars covering Aaron from his chest and all the way down. Aaron notices David's staring and goes to cover himself. "I'm sorry... I just.... how could this happen?" Aaron stays silent. "Okay, I'm gonna help you off the counter and I want you to lay on your back on the couch okay? It'll be easier to work like that." Aaron nods but still yelps a bit when he feels David's warm hands on his cool skin. He grabs onto David's shoulders and wraps his legs around the older man's waist instinctively. David lets himself smile and carries the younger man to the couch, and lays him down. Sure, Aaron was taller than him but right now, he felt as light as a feather and seemed much smaller than David.

Now with Aaron laying out, David can see every scar and blemish on the man. To stop himself from staring, he grabs the first aid kit and gets to work on the dried blood. He works slower this time, knowing it would hurt Aaron if he went faster. He cleaned and bandaged all of the cuts except for one... the big one. He wipes the excess blood away and looks up at Aaron, who is laying with his arms folded behind his head, sniffling lightly to keep the tears from falling. "Aaron.....this could use stitches.." Aaron looks down at him and chokes out a sob. He let his mind run again and it wasn't good. David dropped the stuff and moved up to where Aaron's head was on a pillow. He ran his hand through the crying man's hair and quietly whispered to him "shh its okay Aaron, let it out. You're going to be okay... I won't make you get stitches. I'll just patch it up really well. It'll be okay." They remained like that for a few minutes until Aaron calmed down. David kept running his hand through Aaron's hair until the younger man yawned.

David asked Aaron to stand up and he did, with assistance of course. David had him hold the gauze and bandage wrap in place and started wrapping it around Aaron's entire abdomen, effectively covering the other cuts as well. He secured it into place but stopped Aaron when he went to move.

"Wait, one more thing." David grabs the pack of Spiderman band-aids and sticks one right where the cut would be. He then takes a few more and covers where every cut would be. Aaron lets himself smile for the first time as he watches David place the band-aids on top of the bandages very carefully. David looks up at Aaron and smiles back. The older man stands up and presses a kiss to Aaron's forehead. "There we go, all healed." They both knew it was a lie but it would ease the tension in the room slightly. "Aaron, its still early.. do you want to try and rest?" David knew the answer by the way Aaron could barely keep his eyes open but decided to ask anyways.

Unsurprisingly, he got a nod in response. David helped him up to his bedroom. All Aaron can focus on is how warm David is compared to himself and how badly he wants to cuddle up to him. Once they got there, they both stood there. "Do you want help changing into more comfortable clothes? I can throw everything in the wash." Aaron nods and yawns as David chuckles and goes to help him get out of his pants. Once done, he grabs Aaron a loose pair of pajama pants and helps him into them, and then into bed. When David goes to leave, he hears the sheets and blankets shuffling and looks back to see Aaron looking at him with pleading eyes. "Stay......please....I don't trust myself to be alone." David smiles sadly before stripping into just his undershirt and stealing a pair of Aaron's pajama pants. "Of course. I'll stay as long as you need." He drapes his arm protectively over Aaron and the younger man shivers and the physical contact.

After a few minutes of silence and letting his mind go, he lets a few tears fall onto his sheets. David whispers his name and beckons him to turn around. Sure enough, he does and the older man holds Aaron protectively against his chest as he openly sobs. All he can smell is David's natural scent of a rainforest after the rain and also a bit of his cologne. 'This is safe. David is safe. He can protect me.' He thinks as he hears David start quietly singing a certain Italian song.... the one from last night.

Soon enough, sleep overtakes him and all he can think about is how safe David is.


	2. Boxed macaroni and cheese and brown tattered couches

David Rossi woke up to the sound of cars honking outside. Without opening his eyes, he goes to stretch but realizes he can't move much. His eyes shoot open and he looks down and sees that Aaron is on top of him, still asleep. He pauses, sees it is 2pm, yawns, and wraps his arms further around the sleeping man. Aaron is curled up on David's chest. David looks down and smiles at the younger man. Just then, Aaron shifts further into him and David lets himself fall back asleep.

————

"Do you think Hotch is okay? Rossi ran out of here pretty quickly after him." Emily asks the team. They all gathered in the conference room to try and figure out what happened this morning. Penelope knew but tried to play it off as her being just as clueless as the rest. Spencer had written other scenarios up on the whiteboard but nobody paid those any attention. Derek just sat there, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. JJ tried calling them both, no response. Suddenly, Spencer spoke up. "Wait, Penelope, can't you get into the office surveillance?" She gulps and nods hesitantly.

"Yeah.... but what if it was a personal matter that they both left for?" Emily throws her hands up and paces. "Well, aren't we supposed to know what goes on in each other's personal lives? I just wanna make sure they're okay." Penelope takes a sip of her drink and sighs. "Fine. I know why they left. I just can't tell you guys. It's not my place." Spencer writes 'Penelope knows but won't tell' on the board and JJ suppresses a laugh. Derek stands up and moves towards Penelope, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Babygirl, we need to know what is going on with them...." Penelope stands up abruptly and moves towards the door. "Fine, how about I go to where they are ALONE and make sure they are still okay? Will that get you guys to drop it?" The team, shocked by the small outburst, nod, and Penelope walks out. She grabs a batch of cookies she keeps in her office and grabs her bag. She heads to her car and starts driving to Aaron's house.

————

David wakes up, this time for no apparent reason. He looks at the clock, 4pm. 'Shit, Aaron probably hasn't eaten anything today. He carefully slides himself out of the other man's grip and lays him down carefully. David grabs Aaron's dress pants of the floor, moves quietly across the hallway, and down the stairs. He enters the kitchen and checks the cabinets. Nothing much except for boxes of macaroni and cheese. "I guess that's what I'm making... _**boxed macaroni and cheese**_....such a disgrace." He picks up the box, looking at it with distaste, and grabs a pot out. While the water boils, he cleans up the first aid kit and towel from last night, placing it in the washing machine. He also grabs Aaron's bloody shirt and stares at it for a moment. 'I don't think washing it will help much but its worth a shot." He throws it in and turns the machine on.

Just then, the water is finished boiling so he places the macaroni in the pot. As he throws out the box, he hears a knock on the door. He freezes and considers not answering until he hears a familiar voice. "Hellooooo I come baring a peace offering." He smiles at Penelope's sentence and moves towards the door. He opens it and greets her with a smile. "Hey... what brings you here?" She hands him the cookies and lets herself in. "Well.... the team saw you run out after Aaron this morning and was trying to figure out what was wrong. To put them at ease and stop them from pushing it, I said I'd drive to where you were and personally make sure you guys were okay." She looks around, not seeing Aaron and lowers her voice. "How's bossman? He doing okay?" David nods solemnly before hearing the water sizzle on the stove. His head whips around and he tells Penelope to close the door behind her. He stirs the macaroni in the pot as Penelope looks around Aaron's house. "Where is he?" David opens the refrigerator door and grabs out a carton of juice. "Upstairs sleeping. I'm just making him some food for when he wakes up. I'm worried about him Garcia.."

"Worried about who?" A voice asks from halfway up the stairs. David and Penelope whip their heads around to see a very disheveled Aaron trying to get himself down the stairs to no avail. David runs up to him and slips his arm around the smaller man's waist. Aaron leans onto David heavily and closes his eyes as he lets himself be helped down the stairs. As he hits the bottom step, he notices Penelope and freezes up. David feels this and runs his hand up Aaron's side. "It's okay, she knows. She's the one who told me in the first place." Aaron moves hesitantly across the floor and to the counter. David helps him sit down and he goes back to stirring the macaroni. Penelope takes a seat one chair away from Aaron to give him space but can't help but notice the deep scars going across his back and the large white going across his stomach. She feels like she could cry from seeing the state of her boss like this.

Exhausted, bandaged up, a mess, and only wearing pajama pants hanging off his hips. His hair is completely messed up and he has dark bags under his eyes. She pulls out her phone and shoots a text to Derek. "He's fine. I'm gonna stay here a bit longer." Almost immediately, she gets response of a thumbs up emoji. She looks up to see David stirring the cheese powder into the macaroni mumbling about how its a "disgrace to any sort of macaroni and should never have existed". She then looks over to Aaron who looks like he's gonna fall asleep or break down crying.

"Hey bossman.. how're you holding up? Sorry, probably a bad question.. it's just-" "Penelope, it's alright. I'm doing better now than I was. Hungry as hell though." They both smile and David reaches for the bowls. "Garcia, want some? There's more than enough. She shrugs her shoulders and nods. David starts scooping the "disgraceful yellow stuff" into two bowls with a permanent look of disgust on his face, causing Aaron to smile. He hands the two their bowls, with spoons, and goes to grab drinks. He pours Aaron a cup of juice, a cup of soda for Penelope, and a bit of soda for himself. The two thanks him and they eat in silence. David sits down across from them and checks his notifications. 20 missed calls from different people on the team... Aaron pushes his half-eaten bowl away, not being able to finish it. David makes sure Aaron doesn't want anymore and throws the rest away.

Penelope finishes her brown quickly and offers to help clean up. David tells her that he's got it but thanks her for offering. Aaron goes to stand up, nearly falling over. David rushes around the counter and helps him to his feet but Aaron can barely stand. The food made him significantly more tired. David sighs and picks up Aaron. Just like earlier, he wraps his arms around David's neck and his legs around his waist. The older man carries him to the couch with ease and sets him down, grabbing a blanket and setting up the pillow for him. Not long after, Aaron falls asleep. David starts cleaning up the pot, strainer, and bowls. As he does, Penelope sits there, pondering about how this could of happened.

Aaron went through so much shit that in reality, he should have broke sooner but he never did. He always stayed strong, or so she thought. That's what everyone thought. He was someone for them to go to when they were feeling down. He was always there for others but nobody was there for him... Penelope was easily the person who knew the most about him, based on his files and everything on record. Apart from her, only Rossi knew a bit about him. There was nothing on his records about the scars on his back and that scared Penelope. She looks over at the sleeping man, trying to figure out why he had those marks on him and why he wouldn't have it on file. Everything was supposed to be there. David comes over and sits next to the her. They sit there in silence letting Aaron sleep peacefully.

Until he wasn't sleeping so peacefully... It started off as him just twitching, which David noticed. It turned into him thrashing back and forth and lightly whimpering. David decided not to do anything, silently hoping it would pass. Penelope looks back between David and Aaron, unsure of what to do. Aaron starts thrashing more violently whimpering louder. David decided that was enough and moves to Aaron quickly. He goes to put his hand on Aaron's shoulder but got kicked in the abdomen. He stumbles back at bit because of the sheer force of the kick. Aaron's strength never failed to surprise him, especially now.

Without much thinking, David gets on top of Aaron, straddling his hips so he couldn't get kicked again but also to not hurt his abdomen more. He reached up and held Aaron's wrists carefully against his chest and called out, "Aaron, its okay. You're safe. It's me, David Rossi." Aaron's movement becomes less frantic and he seems to calm down and wake up slowly. He opens his eyes and goes to move away when he realized who was on top of him. And yet, David remained still no matter how much Aaron tried to move away. Out of nowhere, tears started falling down Aaron's face and David immediately let go.

Instead, he sat down and pulled Aaron into his lap, rocking him in his lap and running his hand through his hair. Aaron reached up and held onto David's arm like his life depended on it. David kept hushing him and telling him he'd be okay. Penelope watched the exchange in silence and shock. Aaron's cries rattled through him as David's white shirt gained a wet spot on the shoulder. Aaron released his grip on David's arm and the older man noticed a growing red spot on Aaron's abdomen and a smaller one on Aaron's arm.

'Shit, the cut opened back up.' David helped ease Aaron back onto his back and went to move away from him but Aaron's grip tightened again and his hand shot out to grab David's shirt, holding him close. David turned his head to Penelope and signaled for her to grab the first aid kit in the drawer. She does so and brings it back to David, kneeling next to him. Carefully, David helps Aaron sit back up to get the bandages off of him. Aaron flinches violently. "It's okay Aaron, I've got you. We're here to help you. I have to change your bandages. Penelope is going to help me." The younger man flinches and tries to curl in on himself but David coaxes him out of it.

Carefully, they start undoing the bandage on his stomach and the rest of the cuts are revealed. Penelope audibly gasps but it goes right past Aaron's ears. David lays him on his back and starts cleaning the cuts again. Aaron starts to calm down again until David grazes over the largest cut again. Aaron flinches and starts whimpering, "I'm sorry sir, please don't hit me, it was an accident. I promise it wont happen again. It was an accident, I swear. Please don't grab the belt." This time, both Penelope and David freeze and Aaron mumbles on. David turns to Penelope. "Do you know how to wrap these?" She nods and David stands up. He holds Aaron in a sitting position while Penelope wraps the wounds quickly. Once that was done, they move onto his arm.

Aaron tries to lie down and curl up but David gets himself between the couch and Aaron's head. He lays himself out on the couch with Aaron sitting between his legs. He eases Aaron back so his head is on David's chest. He curls up the best he can while Penelope holds his arm out to work on cleaning it and rewrapping it. While she does that, David wraps an arm protectively around the younger man and keeps running his hand through his hair. As soon as she finished, Penelope let go of Aaron's arm and watched as he retracted it immediately. She stands up slowly and pulls up a chair to sit in front of the couch. The three of them sit in silence as Aaron cries himself back to sleep. A few minutes later, Penelope speaks up. "W-what was that? Who was he begging to?" David looks down solemnly. "I cant say I know.. all I know is that it isn't good." A few more minutes of comfortable silence fall over them until Penelope speaks up again.

"So.... have you kissed him yet?" David chokes on his spit and his eyes go wide. He whispers loudly, "what?! What are you talking about? Have I KISSED him?!" Penelope's eyes go wide as she believes the team read the signs wrong. David looks in shock between her and the sleeping man in his arms, safe from the nightmares and terrors of the world. He sighs and finally admits what he's been pushing down for years. "Fine, no I haven't. But holy shit I want to. I want to hold him forever. I want to keep him safe from his own mind. I want to safe him from his own thought. I want to protect him from his urges to hurt himself. I never want him to be hurt again..." David looked down at Aaron and placed a small kiss on the top of his head. Penelope looks between the two of them and smiles innocently.

"Sooooo when are you guys gonna get together?" David sputters again and lets out a sarcastic laugh. "Haha, that's a good joke. You think a man with an ex-wife would be into men?" Penelope raises an eyebrow at him and David realizes what he said. "No no, I'm different." They both chuckle at that and Aaron groans, immediately catching David's attention. "Hey, you feeling okay?" Aaron just nods and curls up closer into David and nuzzles his chest. Penelope gives David a knowing look and receives an eye roll. Within seconds, Aaron is back asleep and they continue talking. "I don't know, I just..... I care about him too much to say anything. I don't wanna say anything and I don't think I could stand being rejected." Penelope rolls her eyes. "Honey, you are so not gonna get rejected. Do you see who we're talking about? Aaron Hotchner, boss man, is currently curled into your chest like a child and I tell you, for a profiler, you can be pretty blind sometimes." David cocks his head in confusion and Penelope sighs. "The way he looks at you. Hell, I'm the blind one and even I can see that. He's in love with you. He cares about you so damn much. The way he immediately calms down when he hears your voice? The way he curls into you? He trusts you with his life..."

Penelope's words really struck something within him and he runs his hand through Aaron's hair again. She stands up and moves towards her bag. "Welp, I've got to get back to the office and let everyone know you guys are doing fine. I hope you figure out your feelings and I hope Aaron starts feeling better. Tell him I said that please. Have a good and safe day." She exits quickly, closing the door behind her. David sits in silence, contemplating everything Penelope just told him. Could Aaron really feel the same way? Could he possibly love someone like David Rossi? No..... that's not possible. Aaron stirs yet again, trying to move away from David. Not trying to scare him, David lets him go. Aaron very slowly opens his eyes and smiles up at David. "Thank you.... for everything.." David smiles back, fighting the urge to kiss him right there. "It's no problem Aaron. I care about you.... a lot." Aaron blushes a bit and peels himself off of David. He sits up slowly and winces, still in pain. He goes to stand up but stumbles.

Luckily, someone else catches him and holds him upright. David slips his arm around Aaron's waist again and asks where he wants to go. Aaron whispers bathroom and together, they hobble there slowly. Once there, Aaron braces himself on the counter and excuses David, telling him he can handle himself. Once alone, Aaron removes the bandages off of his arm and stares down at the now cleaner lines of red. He then looks at himself in the mirror, seeing how bad he looks. He then realizes he was shirtless in front of David and Penelope. He blushes at the idea of David holding him with his bare chest. He also shudders when he realizes David has seen his scars now and saw him have a nightmare...Aaron knew he would have to explain it one day but with everything else, now was the worst possible time. He hoped David wouldn't press for an explanation. The scratches on his arm burned, he felt like he had to cut again. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a straight razor. Sure, he shaved with it but it also came in handy when he had urges. He dragged it lightly across his arm, trying not to cut too deep.

3 lines later, he felt satisfied and tucked it away before putting the bandages back on his arm. He flushed the toilet for good measure and walked out like nothing happened. Sure enough, David was waiting right there to help him back to the couch. David put his hand right back where it was and Aaron very nearly melted. David was always so warm and made him feel safe. As they got back to the couch, he laid Aaron down gently. David goes to walk away but Aaron grabs his hand. "Wait.... can you... lay the way you were please?" David raises his eyebrow and Aaron is about to apologize before David asks him to sit up a bit.

David slides onto the couch where he originally was and Aaron lays back down, a little different. He has his legs all of the way out in between David's and his head is resting on David's stomach instead of his chest. Aaron folds his hands over his chest and sighs as David just looks down at him. They settle into the comfortable silence of just thinking. Aaron is thinking about why David would ever want to help him so much while David is thinking about how much he loves Aaron and how much he wants to kiss him. Aaron tilts his head up slightly to be looking back up at the other man. Both smile at the same time and start laughing.

Once they stop and fall into silence again, David rests his hands on top of Aaron's, causing the man to look up again. "Are you feeling any better? From last night and this morning?" Aaron holds his breath while he thinks. He did feel better and not as suicidal but the urge was still there but he felt a lot better since David was there with him. "Yeah....I think so". It wasn't exactly a lie but it wasn't the entire truth. David moved one hair up to Aaron's hair again and starts combing it with his hand. "I'm sorry David.. you shouldn't have to stay with me for today..." David pauses and looks at him seriously. "Aaron Hotchner, there is no place I'd rather be. I need to make sure you're okay. I lo-care about you too much." David starts sweating almost immediately as he nearly slipped up. Aaron seemed to notice and cocked his head slightly. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything.

“Yeah but.... you shouldn’t have to put up with a burden like me.” Aaron looks away almost ashamed. David tilts Aaron’s head so they are making eye contact. “Aaron, you are not a burden. I enjoy hanging out with you. Sure, I wish it were under different circumstances but I do enjoy the time that we spend together immensely.” Aaron smiles and lets a tear fall down his cheek, which David wipes away. “I..... fuck it..... Aaron, I love you too much to let you go...” The younger man looks up at David, with his mouth open slightly and eyes wide, completely silent. David’s eyes dart back and forth as he searches for any sign that Aaron has processed what he said. Fear courses through his veins as Aaron remains silent.

—————

Penelope pulls up to the office and hurries into the bullpen, where the team is looking at her expectantly. “Sooooooo how are they?” Spencer asks. Penelope raises her eyebrow. “What do you mean? I texted Derek. Didn’t he tell you?” They all nod their heads. “So then what do you mean?” She asks, looking between the team. “Welllll since they’re safe and both ran out of work, we figured they may have stopped being so blind and finally confessed their feeling for each other.” JJ says like its the most casual thing ever. “Yeah, and we placed bets on when they would get together. JJ says before the end of today, I say within 3 days, Derek said within a week, and Spencer says in two weeks. So, any signs?” Penelope shakes her head, not trying to reveal David’s secret to the team. They all huff and go back to work. Penelope goes back to her “office” and shoots David a text. “How’s he holding up? Also, the team has bets on when you guys are gonna get together.”

—————

Aaron breaks the silence finally and just says, “okay then....” David stiffens and tries to pull himself away. “I’m sorry Aaron. I know you don’t feel the same way but-“ Aaron cuts him off by reaching up, grabbing David’s face and bringing his lips down to his own. They stay like that for a few moments before Aaron releases him. David sits there, shocked. Aaron just folds his hands over his chest again. “David.... don’t stress yourself out. I love you too.”

It’s David’s turn to lean down and kiss Aaron, a bit more passionately this time. After what feels like forever, they part, breathing heavily. Aaron lets out a breathy laugh before erupting into a fit of laughter. David looks down at him confused. Aaron apologizes, “Sorry..sorry. It’s just, this is what happens in dreams. Am I still asleep?” David smiles. “I don’t know, lets find out.” He kisses Aaron again and they both smile into it. Aaron shifts and so does David until the older man is on his back with Aaron laying on top of his.

They lay there, just kissing each other until they both can’t breathe. David wraps his arms protectively around Aaron and holds him close. “I love you so much Aaron.... that’s why I’m still here. I can’t let you go like that.” Aaron just kisses him again and David feels like he’s the one dreaming at this point. David lets out a light gasp as Aaron runs his tongue over David’s lips, asking for entrance which David allows immediately. They spend the next hour lazily making out, feeling like they’re both having the best dream ever. When David lightly bites his neck, Aaron thanks himself for not having the courage last night to cut too deep. He thanks himself for letting David help him. He thanks himself for finally having the courage to kiss the man he has loved for years.

“Thank you” is the last thing he whispers before they both fall asleep, blissfully happy on his _**brown tattered couch**_.


	3. Hot water and marks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is so bad, I was just not feeling this chapter at all. Also, i got really busy which is why this chapter is so late.

The next morning, David woke up so relaxed, he nearly fell back asleep. He groans lightly as he struggles to breathe slightly, causing him to move. He hears a moan and looks down, realizing Aaron is asleep on top of him, snoring lightly. David smiles, seeing how peaceful Aaron looks. With the look on his face, you'd never know of the day they just had. You'd never know about what was hiding under white bandages. You'd never know about the pain Aaron was in. David brought his hand up and ran his fingers through Aaron's hair softly, trying not to wake the man, he really needed his sleep right now. After a few minutes of the morning light shining on them while David carded his fingers through Aaron's hair, he started to wake up.

First it was a light moan and shifting, then he curled up into David closer. David smiled more and shifted, trying to tell Aaron they had to get up. After yesterday, they had to be at work or Strauss would have their heads on a silver platter, served to the rest of the team. Dave shuddered at the thought and lightly shook Aaron, telling him they had to get up. He got a groan and a swat at his arm when he laughed at the younger man. David went to sit up with Aaron still clinging to him. Showing no sign of moving, David stood up and felt Aaron hold on as tight as he could while having a bad arm and not much strength overall. David just continued walking as Aaron held onto him.

When he felt Aaron start to slip, he slipped his hands underneath the younger man, coaxing him into wrapping his legs around David's midsection. Aaron hid his face in David's shoulder at the feeling of the older man's hands on his ass. David smiled smugly and started up the stairs, grabbing Aaron's ass a bit harder to "ensure he won't fall". Out of nowhere Aaron lifts his head up. "Hey Dave.... where are we going?" David smiles to himself before responding cheekily. "Well, you do have to take a shower, right?" Aaron just groaned and hit his head into David's shoulder to show his disapproval with a clunk followed by a muffled "ow" from his shoulder. Dave just continued towards the bathroom, holding Aaron against him.

Once there, David sets Aaron down on the counter and starts up a shower. Aaron just sits there, swinging his legs lazily. David looks back at him with complete adoration. Aaron was sitting on the counter, his messed up hair, shirtless, in his boxers, and swinging his socked feet back and forth looking like a slightly displeased puppy. David just smiles and Aaron cocks his head, much like a dog would. "What? You're staring at me?" David moves closer and kisses Aaron softly. "I was just admiring the view. You know, you're absolutely adorable when you let your big scary man guard down." Aaron pulls away and pouts. "I am not! I'm still intimidating."

David chuckles and puts himself between Aaron's swinging legs. "Mhm, maybe intimidating to a goldfish. Now c'mon, you have to shower before going to the office." Aaron groans and puts his hands on Dave's shoulders. "Do I realllllyyy have to go in? I mean, I know I have to but I don't want to. I want to stay here with you." The older man smiles and eases Aaron off of the counter. "You and I both need to shower. How abouttttt we share a shower? Y'know, conserve the water." Aaron smiles and raises his eyebrow at David. "Yeah..."conserve the water". That's what this is about." David blushes lightly. "Yeah. How about, I go in, and you join when you are ready. Or the other way around." Aaron feels his face heat up at the idea of sharing a shower with his friend. "No, you can go in first. I'll join when I'm ready." David smiles and steps into the shower, fully clothed.

Once behind the curtain, Aaron can hear his lover peeling off his clothes and watches as they are tossed onto the tile floor outside the shower. Aaron thanks the universe that David didn't just strip in front of him. Thinking about it again made Aaron a bit more eager to get in. He carefully peels his socks off and then get rid of his boxers. He hesitates before stepping into the shower, thankful David is facing the shower head. Aaron looks him up and down before lightly running his hands down Dave's shoulders and then his sides, landing at his hips. Aaron just rests his chin on David's shoulder and kisses his neck lightly. The older man tenses up but then relaxes under Aaron's lips. He turns around slightly and Aaron continues to kiss his neck. David drops his hands to Aaron's hip, rubbing circles with his thumb. Aaron's kisses get rougher as he starts to move closer to Dave.

The other man just backs up until his back hits the wall. Aaron takes advantage of that and kisses harder, nipping at some areas. David's head falls back against the wall and he groans lightly. Aaron takes this as a cue to continue and does so, sucking in some places. He kisses a trail up David's jawline until David moans louder at a certain spot a bit below his ear. Aaron smirks and pays closer attention to the spot, kissing, biting, and sucking at it. David rolls his hips and feels himself brush against Aaron, causing them both to moan and gasp. Aaron continues to find Dave's sensitive spots, leaving marks and bruises. Neither man cares much, knowing they can cover it up. Aaron leaves multiple marks higher up on Dave's neck and jawline. David moans out and grabs a handful of Aaron's hair, pulling it lightly until the younger man moans and his head is pulled away from Dave's neck.

Taking advantage of this new found weakness, he pulls a bit harder and pins Aaron against the other wall, letting the water fall down his back. David doesn't hesitate in nipping at Aaron's neck, eliciting loud moans from the younger man. He also finds sensitive spots higher up but really goes after Aaron's collarbone.

They get interrupted by a phone ringing in another room, bringing them back to reality. David kisses Aaron once more before grabbing a towel, and running to get his phone. Aaron is left there to figure out what just happened. He slumps against the wall and brings his fingers up to one of the bruises. "Damn......" He goes to push himself off the wall and stumbles a bit. Only then did he remember he had bandages going around his midsection and his arm. He takes them off carefully and starts to actually wash himself. He can hear David talking on the phone in the other room.

"Yes Garcia, everything is alright. We'll be in today and you can come to my office....No, nothing happened...tell the others not to worry. Thank you. Goodbye." He hears David walk back into the bathroom. "Hey Aaron, we've really gotta get ready. We might be late-" He steps back in to see Aaron, washing shampoo out of his hair, cuts exposed to the water and soap. "How come you took them off? Were they bothering you?" David steps closer and helps Aaron finish with his hair. Aaron lets himself relax into the feeling of David meticulously massaging his scalp. "No, I just know they have to come off once in a while and after them getting soaked, they had to be changed anyways." He turns around and kisses David again. He pulls away after realizing they actually do have to get ready. "Do you want me to wash your hair? I can-" "No Aaron. It's alright. I know you have a perfect routine. You can go finish cleaning yourself up and I'll join you to redo the bandages and to get myself ready. Once you're dressed, do you want to wait in here?" Aaron nods and gives David another quick kiss before stepping out to dry off. He half-limps to his bedroom and grabs a set of clothes.

He changes into his boxers and pants, but leaves his shirt off, knowing Dave still had to do the bandages. He walks back into the bathroom and starts combing his hair into place. He watches his movements closely in the mirror and doesn't realize David walked up behind him until he feels a pair of arms wrap around his abdomen. It causes Aaron to jump before relaxing, realizing who it is. David, completely naked apart from a towel around his waist, runs his hands up and across Aaron's chest, noting what ever scar feels like and gauges Aaron's reaction to his hands. Aaron throws his head back, giving David complete access to his entire neck. Dave take advantage of this and kisses up and down his neck relentlessly, leaving even more marks. Upon first seeing them, neither man was surprised by the little blue and red bruises littering their neck. Now, David was taking control of the situation and left even more marks on Aaron. The two continue until Aaron turns around, and David lifts him onto the counter.

As quickly as it started, it ends when Dave moves away and grabs some bandages. Aaron rolls his eyes and tries to insist he doesn't need the bandages. He gives Dave his best pouting face and reluctantly, Dave agrees to use bandaids on Aaron's arm. The ones on his abdomen needed the larger bandages. When Aaron sees the spider-man bandaids, he smiles fondly as he watches David place them on, and press a kiss to every single one.

8 Spider-Man bandaids later, David has Aaron sit completely straight up, not that he was slouching much anyways. He carefully applies ointment to the cuts before wrapping the large white bandage around his midsection. David presses a kiss to that as well before retreating into Aaron's room, hoping he had at least one outfit that would fit him. Luckily, he found one and changed quickly, coming back to help Aaron off the counter. The two move around quickly, getting themselves prepared for a boring day at the office. It was another paperwork day. They both got in the car by 6:45am and were on their way to work.

Once they arrive, Aaron stumbles through the doors and Dave insists on helping him to his office. Sure, it may look a bit suspicious but they didn't care at the moment, they could come up with some lie. Emily, Derek, and JJ sat around Spencer's desk, whispering about why the two men left early yesterday and hadn't shown up yet. Almost on cue, they walk in. The first thing the team notices is that Aaron wasn't wearing a jacket with his white shirt and tie. He never changed what he wore so it was a bit odd. Upon second glance, they all noticed how disheveled he looked. The way he limped slightly, putting some of his weight on David, and then they saw the bruises littering his neck. One by one, they all put it together and started giggling.

Then they saw David's neck and Emily howled in laughter. Neither man payed them attention, oblivious to the visible marks on them. The team watched as David walked Aaron to his office, helped him get situated, and then David went to his own office, and started his work. The four looked at each other knowingly and started laughing before Emily spoke up. "Maybe that's why Hotch was leaning on him, he took it too rough in the ass!" JJ giggled and added, "if those marks say anything, they left early to go at it. Thank god they didn't do it here. I don't even want to imagine that! Mom and Dad screwing in one of their offices." Derek chucked and added, "It would probably be David's office. He seems to be in charge in bed. Y'know, with all the sex talk, I'd never think he was gay. Guess he likes a good dick sucking from his boss."

Spencer scrunched up his nose at their vulgar language. He speaks up quietly, "With his old age, do you think Rossi would be capable of "screwing" someone? I mean, his back would give out before he could start!" The other three sputtered and laughed loudly at the young doctor's words. Suddenly, Penelope runs by as fast as she can in her heels, right up into David's office, closing the door behind her. Emily gasps, getting everyone else's attention.

"Oh my god.. what if Rossi is screwing Penelope and Hotch?! He's a playaaaaaaa!" The others shake their heads laughing before watching as Penelope paces back and forth, talking with her hands as David just sits there, before his eyes go wide and he gets up, and shuts the blinds going into the office. They look over at Hotch through his window, watching him rub at one of the marks on his neck. They all turn to each other, and a moment of silence goes by before JJ speaks up. "So... I think Hotch and Rossi are screwing and Rossi is also being seduced by Penelope."

They all chuckle and go back to watching Hotch as he answers his phone, looks up, touches a mark on his neck, and then closes the blinds to his office as well. Penelope walks out of David's office, slightly red in the face, and continues back to her own office. Not even a minute later, Hotch walks swiftly to David's office and let's himself in. He closes the door behind him. The four decide to get back to work before Strauss finds out about them not working.

After David helped him get settled, Aaron pulls out a file and starts his paperwork. As he writes, he feels a familiar, pulsating,burn in his arm. His arm itches for him to grab the razor out of the box in his drawer. He makes a fist and rubs his hands down his face. 'No. I can't. Dave will be disappointed. I can't have that. I can't do that to him again. Aaron goes back to work, willing himself to keep that drawer closed. His phone rings and he hears David's voice with a slight hint of amusement.

"Hey Aaron.....you might wanna close your blinds to your office." Aaron's eyebrows knit and he asks "Why? What's going on?" He hears Penelope chuckle in the background. "Well... you see.... this morning, we weren't exactly careful about where we left marks on each other..." Aaron's face deadpans and he gets up and closes his blinds quickly. As he moves back to his desk, he thanks his lover and goes back to work.

After a few more minutes, he decides he can't focus on anything and goes to talk to Dave for a bit. He makes his way across the floor and opens David's door, knowing the other man won't mind. He's halfway across the room when Dave looks up. "Aaron? What's wr-hmph" He gets cut off by Aaron kissing him. A few passionate kisses later, they pull away from each other. "Not that I mind, but what was that for?" Aaron just sighs and sits himself on Dave's desk, right where he was working.

"I don't know.....I can't focus. I... wanna do it again. Can you get rid of something for me in my office? Bottom drawer. There's a small box. If I touch it, something bad is gonna happen...please.. I can't do it." Knowing exactly what he meant, David gets up, gives Aaron a quick kiss on the forehead, and goes into Aaron's office. He opens the drawer, and sure enough. A small box is there. Dave doesn't dare open it. He only takes it and throws it into a trash can on his way back. He comes back to find Aaron still sitting there, with his head in his hands. Dave quickly moves around the desk and lifts Aaron's chin with his finger.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Aaron shrugs. "Okay.. well, you could sit in here with me for a bit, we could sit here and work, or I could just talk with you about other things." Aaron just reaches forward and takes Dave's face into his hands before kissing him again. When they part, their foreheads remain touching. "I don't know...I just don't want to be alone." David nods lightly and rubs his hands across Aaron's lower back, trying to sooth the younger man. They remain like that until Aaron moves his head onto Dave's shoulder, and one of Dave's hands come up to rub the back of Aaron's neck.

There's a knock on Dave's door and Aaron can't get off the desk fast enough before Derek walks in. "Hey Rossi-oh. I see you're busy. Never mind." He goes to leave but David calls him back in. "It's alright Morgan. What's up?" The two talk about some difficult case as Aaron sits there, zoning out and swinging his legs again. Derek leaves at some point and Dave turns back to Aaron. "Y'know, you'll be alright. You think they'll judge you?" Aaron pauses and looks him in the eye. "For being with you or for trying to kill myself?" Dave internally winces at Aaron's bluntness. "For either.... they wouldn't judge you. Did you SEE Garcia? She was concerned as hell. Not one ounce of judgement. It's okay if you don't want to tell them. Just remember, they are really talented profilers. They will figure it out with or without either of us saying anything." He comes back to Aaron and kisses him. "We'll get through this....together." They both take a few minutes of silence as Aaron lets those words sink in. 'Together...he'll take on the hell that is my life? He'll help with Jack? God, how did I find someone so perfect?' Aaron sighs contently. David also promises to himself again to never leave Aaron alone when he isn't doing good. After a little while, they decide to get a move on and socialize a bit.

Aaron makes a mental note to ask Spencer how he's holding up. David notices how Aaron hesitates to leave his office and takes the lead. Aaron follows close behind him, pulling at his jacket to fix the invisible flaws. David goes in one direction over to Strauss’ office, which basically means Aaron has to go talk with the rest of the team. It was a calm way of forcing him to socialize with his friends. Aaron walks hesitantly over to Prentiss’ desk where she and JJ were talking. Once they notice him, they stop and look at him. Aaron wants to run and hide in his office but knows he can’t, Dave would be disappointed. He waves a small hi at them sheepishly as he gets close enough to put his hand on Emily’s desk. They all kinda look at each other before Aaron feels an arm around his shoulder and a similar voice behind him. “So boss, getting some lately?” Aaron jumps slightly and nudges Derek’s arm off of him. “No, Agent Morgan, I have not participated in sexual activities as of lately.”

Just then, a certain doctor is scrunching up his nose as he walks up to the desk. “Derek, please.” Spencer moves so he’s half sitting on the desk and Derek rolls his eyes, moving to where Spencer is. Prentiss rolls her eyes and smiles “How come we always gather around my desk?” They all shrug and laugh a bit except for Aaron, who is too worried about everything else going on. He looks around for Dave subtly, silently hoping he’d come over and save him from the situation. No sign of him. After a moment of silence, he hears something clacking quickly against the floor and the tech expert wearing all different colors comes bounding around the corner and right over to the group. “What are we doing? Group therapy?” Everyone laughs except for Aaron again. Derek chuckles a response, “nah, just figuring out who Hotch is sharing a bed with. Still no response though.” Penelope gives Aaron a knowing glance and Aaron jumps again at a hand on his lower back.

“I don’t think your boss here appreciates you asking about something so personal. Plus, you think a man like him is getting laid?” They all laugh and Aaron visibly relaxes against David’s hand before giving him a look for his last comment. “Welllllllll based on those “marks” on his neck, I’d say he did get some.” Emily jokes. Aaron goes slightly red and tries to excuse himself but Dave holds onto his shoulder. “Well, I think we should leave his personal life alone and talk about how work was yesterday.”

With an eye roll, they all continued a conversation about work the day prior while casting glances over to Aaron and Dave every few moments. Dave kept his hand on Aaron’s lower back, rubbing in slow circles to try and ease the man.Penelope notices and smiles comfortingly at Aaron, and receives a sad smile back. He subconsciously starts rubbing at his arm where the cuts were and Dave quickly notices. He grabs onto Aaron’s arm lightly and runs his thumb over Aaron’s other hand. He relaxes even further and starts to engage in the conversation which is currently about how much of a jerk Strauss is.

Dave smiles as Aaron starts talking and smiling and truly believes everything may just turn out okay.


End file.
